News

IT for government and public sector

• February 14, 2020 14 Feb'20

  CIO Interview: Siim Sikkut, Estonian government CIO

  Siim Sikkut is one of a generation of tech native Estonians, who is turning his knowledge and experience to transforming government services

• February 14, 2020 14 Feb'20

  PM Johnson shuffles technology and digital ministers again

  Boris Johnson has changed all the key Cabinet appointments responsible for tech and digital policy for the second time since becoming prime minister last year

• February 14, 2020 14 Feb'20

  Calls for inquiry into Post Office IT scandal increase in Parliament, with cross-party support

  Many MPs might not yet fully understand the suffering subpostmasters have endured because of the Post Office’s faulty IT system and its oppressive behaviour, but they will soon

• February 12, 2020 12 Feb'20

  Half of technology workers want to find a new job in 2020

  Better pay and work/life balance are major reasons for tech workers to seek a new job, according to a new study

• February 12, 2020 12 Feb'20

  Adult social care organisations get £4.5m in funding for digital

  A group of 16 local authorities was selected to receive the grant from NHS Digital to fund digital projects for adult social care

• February 12, 2020 12 Feb'20

  Pressure for public inquiry into Post Office IT system scandal begins with mountain to climb

  Members of Parliament seeking a public inquiry into the Post Office Horizon scandal face huge challenges, but pressure and time could force justice

• February 11, 2020 11 Feb'20

  MI5 failed to disclose failings in handling intercepted data, court hears

  MI5 failed to disclose serious failures in the way it handled intelligence data to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, the surveillance regulator and ministers.

• February 10, 2020 10 Feb'20

  Two-thirds of workers at risk of robot-driven redundancy are unaware of the threat to jobs

  People who do jobs that are most likely to be automated through technology are unaware and unprepared of the impending threat to their livelihoods, with Nesta calling on the government to do more to up-skill those at risk

• February 10, 2020 10 Feb'20

  Scotland makes inroads in digital identity project

  The government has started building a prototype of what is planned to be a "user-centric" platform to access public services online

• February 10, 2020 10 Feb'20

  AI in public service must be accountable

  Committee on Standards in Public Life recommends that government departments make ethics a top priority when tendering artificial intelligence systems

• February 09, 2020 09 Feb'20

  Australian government to roll out SAP S/4 Hana

  Australia’s finance department earmarks S/4 Hana as its ERP system to provide common financial and HR services across government

• February 07, 2020 07 Feb'20

  IR35 private sector reforms: HMRC confirms last-minute tweak to incoming off-payroll rules

  The government is rolling out a tweak to the IR35 private sector reforms that it claims will give businesses more time to prepare, but stakeholders are unconvinced

• February 07, 2020 07 Feb'20

  NHS Digital appoints new CISO

  Pete Rose will also act as deputy chief executive at the IT partner for the National Health Service

• February 06, 2020 06 Feb'20

  Maastricht University pays €200,000 to Russian hackers

  A Dutch university has taken the difficult decision to pay hundreds of thousands of Euros to Russian hackers that compromised its systems through a ransomware attack

• February 06, 2020 06 Feb'20

  UK investigates drone use for search and rescue

  Maritime & Coastguard Agency will examine whether drones can be used to aid missions by visiting rescue sites

• February 05, 2020 05 Feb'20

  Digital sector contributes £400m a day to UK economy

  Sector is growing six times faster than economic growth overall, according to government figures

• February 05, 2020 05 Feb'20

  NHSX to mandate minimum technology spend for trusts

  Recent guidelines for NHSX sets out plans to define spending levels required so organisations can achieve digital aims

• February 04, 2020 04 Feb'20

  Social media targeting algorithms need regulation, says CDEI

  The Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation is recommending regulation of social media algorithms as part of a drive to make user targeting safe and ethical

• February 04, 2020 04 Feb'20

  MI5 faces court ruling over unlawful surveillance warrants

  Privacy groups Liberty and Privacy International ask the Investigatory Powers Tribunal to order MI5 to disclose full details of ‘unlawful’ conduct, after classified documents reveal the spy agency failed to comply with surveillance laws

• February 03, 2020 03 Feb'20

  Digital strategy for 2020-2030 sets out police technology plans

  National policing strategy sets a number of technological ambitions for the next decade, placing a particular emphasis on collaborative working and building common standards or frameworks

• February 03, 2020 03 Feb'20

  Government announces fast-track visa scheme for scientists and researchers

  Government also removes cap on the number of people who can enter the UK via the Exceptional Talent route

• February 03, 2020 03 Feb'20

  Government refuses request to pay legal costs for subpostmasters in Post Office case

  The government has refused to pay the huge legal costs subpostmasters incurred in their battle with the government-owned Post Office, which they won

• February 03, 2020 03 Feb'20

  NHS adds supplier security audits to procurement platform

  A new feature in the NHS’s Edge4Health procurement platform will help NHS suppliers improve their cyber security posture and NHS organisations make better buying decisions

• February 03, 2020 03 Feb'20

  NHSX appoints new chief technology officer

  David Turner will join the digital unit of the National Health Service in May 2020

• January 31, 2020 31 Jan'20

  Estonian CIO gives UK IT professionals hope as Brexit removes rights

  Tech chief says Estonia’s door is open to UK IT professionals if they want to continue enjoying an EU lifestyle

• January 31, 2020 31 Jan'20

  Davos: The clock is ticking on climate change but cyber crime and emerging technologies add to risks

  Climate change, natural disasters, extreme weather and loss of biodiversity are the greatest risks we face. With cyber conflicts, state-sponsored hacking and internet fragmentation, doing nothing is not an option, says the World Economic Forum

• January 31, 2020 31 Jan'20

  Harvey Nash hires first female CEO

  Beverley White takes over as Albert Ellis steps down after 14 years leading the IT recruitment and services firm

• January 31, 2020 31 Jan'20

  UK’s Tier 1 Exceptional Talent visa system ‘does not work well’, says MAC

  During a review of whether the government should introduce a points-based system for migration, the Migration Advisory Committee claims the current Tier 1 system for exceptional talent is not fit for purpose

• January 30, 2020 30 Jan'20

  Northern Rail will trial tech to tackle overcrowding

  Troubled operator Northern Rail will attempt to improve services by using technology as it is brought under government control

• January 30, 2020 30 Jan'20

  Sorting out the Dutch government’s IT mess

  Tech experts discuss the challenges and potential solutions to the Netherlands government’s IT problems

• January 30, 2020 30 Jan'20

  UKCloud moots multi-cloud as a way to speed up public sector cloud adoption

  Contributors to UKCloud's public sector-focused State of Cloud Adoption report flag barriers to using off-premise technologies, but could adopting a multi-cloud strategy assist with overcoming them?

• January 29, 2020 29 Jan'20

  UK cyber security sector worth more than £8bn

  The UK’s cyber security industry employs 43,000 full-time workers, and contributed nearly £4bn to the UK economy in 2019, according to DCMS

• January 29, 2020 29 Jan'20

  CTO interview: Juan Villamil discusses changing IT culture

  Juan Villamil has worked at the Department for Work and Pensions for nearly five years. As he heads off to take up a new challenge at Imperial College, we speak to him about change and transformation

• January 29, 2020 29 Jan'20

  Government creates AI playbook for the public sector

  Wide-ranging advice is provided in a guide that covers all stages of projects, from evaluation through to post-implementation

• January 28, 2020 28 Jan'20

  Met Police could deploy facial recognition against protesters

  Live facial recognition will be rolled out operationally by the Met Police, but police monitoring group Netpol believes it will hamper people’s ability to exercise their rights to protest

• January 28, 2020 28 Jan'20

  Subpostmaster prosecutions move closer to appeal

  Prosecutions are a significant step closer to being sent to the Court of Appeal as Criminal Courts Review Commission forms a group of commissioners to review them

• January 27, 2020 27 Jan'20

  Police sent information about potential Fujitsu staff perjury in subpostmaster prosecutions

  The police have been asked to consider information from a High Court judge questioning evidence given by Fujitsu staff in criminal trials of Post Office subpostmasters

• January 27, 2020 27 Jan'20

  NHSX reports progress in screening transformation

  Digital unit outlines work that has been done to address the shortcomings of screening IT programmes

• January 27, 2020 27 Jan'20

  UK teachers want more computers in schools

  As well as equipment, a priority is to increase the provision of training for teachers in the use of technology, according to a new study

• January 27, 2020 27 Jan'20

  Met Police to launch facial recognition operationally

  Despite the continuing controversy around its use, the Metropolitan Police will be deploying live facial recognition across the capital

• January 24, 2020 24 Jan'20

  UK firms lack skills to make AI work, employees claim

  Research finds employees are concerned about being blamed for tech blunders, with those fears increasing resistance towards artificial intelligence technology

• January 22, 2020 22 Jan'20

  Government should not be allowed to dismiss subpostmasters’ claims over Horizon IT scandal

  Subpostmasters are stepping up their fight for justice after their huge court victory, with Westminister replacing the High Court as the battleground

• January 21, 2020 21 Jan'20

  IR35 private sector reforms: Recruitment industry urges chancellor to halt April 2020 roll-out

  Major players from the UK recruitment industry want the government to delay plans to roll out the IR35 reforms to the private sector so enterprises have more time to prepare

• January 21, 2020 21 Jan'20

  Loan charge under review: HMRC to invest £200,000 in readying IT systems for planned policy changes

  Tax collection agency counts costs of having to upgrade IT systems to prepare for incoming changes to its controversial loan charge disguised remuneration policy, which has left thousands of IT contractors facing financial ruin

• January 21, 2020 21 Jan'20

  Nicky Morgan says new government will be pro-tech

  DCMS minister outlines five key ways the government aims to support technology going forward, including being “unashamedly” pro-tech

• January 21, 2020 21 Jan'20

  High-tech firms provide boost to consulting industry

  Data privacy and the shift to service-based models are some of the areas where companies such as Google and Apple are turning to consultants for support, according to a new report

• January 20, 2020 20 Jan'20

  UK government strengthens ties with African tech firms

  Plans announced to develop startups in Africa as part of the announcements around the first UK-Africa investment summit

• January 20, 2020 20 Jan'20

  NHS Digital launches login toolkit

  Self-service package can be integrated into healthcare apps and platforms

• January 20, 2020 20 Jan'20

  Norway’s government to upgrade digital in school curriculum

  Primary and secondary schools in Norway will introduce more digital learning, following the latest government reforms

• January 17, 2020 17 Jan'20

  Cabinet Office launches data handling review

  Oliver Dowden issues statement explaining the New Year Honours list leak and announces new practices after the publication of personal details of over 1,000 public figures